Read the fine print first...
"From Hare to Heir" is a 1960 Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Friz Freleng, starring Yosemite Sam and Bugs Bunny.
At the Bedlam Manor somewhere in Regency Era England, Sam, Duke of Yosemite, learns through one of his servants that his uncle the King will no longer be his benefactor. This does not sit well with Sam, as he fears the books are not going to balance as a result.
By some strange turn of events, Sam is visited by a document bearer (Bugs) who states that he stands to receive a tidy sum of as high as a million pounds... so long as his temper stays serene.
Bugs wastes no time testing Sam’s limits. Between a ridiculously lengthy dinner table, two loud songs, and hogging the bathroom, he does quite the number on the Duke.
Some milestones in this cartoon:
- The first Warner Brothers cartoon whose "bull's-eye" opening card fades to black instead of crossfading into the title credits;
- The first Merrie Melodies end card to be marked "A Vitaphone release" (while the Looney Tunes cards would have the Vitagraph equivalent);
- The second Warner Brothers cartoon overall not to have the Vitaphone byline in the opening card (behind Mice Follies").
"Hey, Sam, how about the tropes?"
- All for Nothing: By the end of the cartoon, Sam has his temper under control, and shows Bugs by having his servants kick him in the butt, throw a pie in his face and hit him with a rolling pin. But then Bugs turns to the audience and says...Bugs: I haven't got the heart to tell him that he's used up all the money.
- Bugs not telling Sam that Sam has lost all of the Money is actually pretty smart. It gives him time to hightail it out of there before Sam can realize he lost all of the money and if Bugs told Sam that he is not getting any pounds, Sam would no doubt murder Bugs since Sam lost all of the money, meaning at this point, Sam would have NOTHING left to lose by NOT keeping his temper in check.
- Angrish: Nothing new for Sam, but – especially whenever he’s about to fall into the river – this one takes it up to eleven.Sam: (falling through the trap door he set for Bugs) "YYYYYA REGGA-PULVERATED FRATTIN-DROLLIN YATTIN PITTIN SWATTIN KALLEN-PATTA-RATTIN PENGALATTA-"
- Bowdlerization: The ABC version of this cartoon shortens the part at the end where Sam shows Bugs that he "don't get mad no more" and lets his servants kick him, hit him in the head, and slam a pie in his face (before Bugs asides to the audience that he doesn't have the heart to tell Sam that he lost all his money).
- Contrived Coincidence: Someone knocks on the door bearing news of a one-million-pound inheritance right after Sam is told he's been disowned by the King? Sounds a tad too convenient.
- Decoy Protagonist: Sam is the real main character here, not Bugs. Bugs could really be any character; he doesn't even have a "What's up, Doc?" moment. The whole short was really just an excuse to have Sam lose his temper and swear a blue streak without offending the censors. Not that anyone's complaining.
- Getting Crap Past the Radar: Mel Blanc does this twice with Sam's invectives, once saying "Aaah-hole" and a bit later calling Bugs a putz.
- Head Desk: After Bugs makes another deduction, an angry Sam slams his head against a piano, creating a discordant sound.Bugs: Hey, Doc, what's that song you're playing? I like it.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: Sam gets hit with a double whammy in the bathroom scene. First, when he bursts through the door to haul Bugs out, he forgets about the opening. And second, when the bathroom becomes free, he makes a mad dash for Bugs right in front of that exact same hole. Both falls are punctuated by a stream of cursing.
- Impoverished Patrician: In this cartoon, Sam is the Duke of Yosemite. He's also flat broke, and his uncle the King has cut off his allowance.
- Layman's Terms: "In short, whenever you blow your top, you blow some dough."
- Loophole Abuse: Bugs really goes to town on this one, since there was nothing in the document that restricted his own actions.
- Make It Look Like an Accident: Sam's Exact Words when attempting to dispose of Bugs. He saws through the floorboard just outside the bathroom and covers the opening, which is directly over a moat, with a rug. It goes as well as any other attempt on the critter.
- On One Condition: How much money Sam stands to receive is tied to how Bugs perceives his temper.
- Rousing Lullaby: Yosemite Sam is kept awake by Bugs Bunny playing the piano. Since he stands to lose his inheritance if he loses his temper, Sam regains his composure and asks Bugs to play him Brahms' Lullaby to lull him to sleep. Bugs plays it — very loudly, on a bass drum with cymbals. Sam lies that he likes Bugs' music to keep him happy.
- Staircase Tumble: The aftermath of Sam's attempt on Bugs with the ax. And it's a very long way down, with plenty more money being lost along the way.
- Stepping Out to React: Sam has to keep his temper in check or have some of his inheritance deducted every time he blows his top. When Bugs Bunny keeps on annoying him, he has to run into a closet so he can spew angrish without Bugs knowing.
- Table Space: As Bugs and Sam are eating at different ends of a very long table, Bugs frequently asks for various things, forcing Sam to walk all the way down to the far end of the table. Each time as he's walking all the way back to be seated, Bugs calls back for another item. This causes Sam to lose his temper, prompting Bugs to reduce 300 pounds (which makes Sam go into a rage-induced fit, adding 100 pounds more).
- Throw the Book at Them: Or rather, snap the book shut on the servant's nose for failing to balance the books.Advisor: Oh, no! Not the "nose in the book" penalty!
Sam: Yeah, the nose in the book. - Trap Door: How Sam sets up the rug that covers the opening outside the bathroom door. But it's not Bugs who gets the date with gravity.
